Tag Archives: sugar

My Issues Do Not Have to Become Their Issues

As a parent, I often think about what I can do to help my boys avoid struggling with the same things that I have struggled with and continue to struggle with throughout my life. I have a good life, and I am grateful that it is as good as it is. However, no one is perfect and each of us has our own list of things that we struggle with. I have overcome some of the things that I had trouble with as a child. For example, I had some pretty intense sibling rivalry going on with my sister. As … Continue reading →

Quitting Diet Soda

Would you like to lose five pounds? You may be able to do so by cutting back on your diet soda consumption. Now, I can’t guarantee you will see a huge drop in weight, but I think I probably lost about 5 pounds when I quit. I have read that some diet soda drinkers lose up to 15 pounds upon quitting. In addition to any weight loss that may or may not occur, you will be doing your body an enormous favor. I have had a love/hate relationship with diet soda for as long as I can remember. One of … Continue reading →

The Great Fructose Debate

I love sugar. In fact, I think I could live on sugar alone. I am particularly fond of artificial sugar found in sweet treats, such as Twizzlers, Jelly Bellys, Sour Patch Kids and Hot Tamales. I am a considerably healthy individual and I know that sugar is not good for me, but I just can’t help myself. I try to rationalize it in my mind. I don’t smoke, or drink or have any other particularly destructive habits, so is sugar really that bad for me? My love of artificial sugar began as a little girl. One of my favorite traditions … Continue reading →

Better than Energy Drinks

I feel like I’m seeing a LOT of commercials for energy drinks on television lately. But I’ll be honest: energy drinks scare me a little. I imagine that they’re full of sugar or caffeine, or both — giving you a quick jolt of energy, sure, but in the long run, probably not that great for your health. But I do suffer from that mid-afternoon slump. Around two o’clock, I start to slow down and think about napping. I suspect it might be a hold-over from my radio days, when I’d get off the air at two and it would be … Continue reading →

Saving Money on Sugar

Did you know that certain sugar can cost twice as much but be basically the same thing? No, I’m not talking about raw sugar or exotic gourmet sugar, I am just talking about the stuff that you would normally find in the grocery store. Sugar is one of those staples that seems to have gone up quite a lot in the last few years. I remember being able to buy a five pound bag of sugar for 79 cents. Now, it seems, that same bag sells for $1.79! Here are some ways that you can save on sugar. You can … Continue reading →

Natural Sugars vs. Added Sugars

Do you have a sweet tooth? I sure do! But… there’s a long history in my family of diabetes. I do worry about how much sugar I get in my diet — both added sugar and natural sugar. Naturally sweet produce like fruits and some veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, etc) make up a big part of my diet. There is a big difference between natural sugars and added sugars. The sugars in fruits and vegetables certainly aren’t as dangerous as added sugars. In fact, nutrition experts say that natural sugars don’t raise your diabetes risk the same way added sugars … Continue reading →

What’s The Fuss About Carbs?

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Carbohydrates are a macronutrient. The three macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates supply our bodies with their main source of fuel: glucose (also known as blood sugar). Yes, we run on sugar but before you head to the cupboard to down a sack of sugar, read on. Our bodies create glucose by breaking down the carbohydrates we eat throughout the day. Our bodies can also create glucose from proteins and fat but it is much more difficult to do and requires a great deal more energy in the form of calories. (It is easy for the body to make … Continue reading →

Sugar and Your Skin

Sugar can be good for your skin on the outside — in the form of an exfoliating sugar scrub. However, the sugar you eat may be ruining your skin! Sugar in your bloodstream can attach to protein molecules to form advanced glycation end products (or AGEs). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs that form in your bloodstream. As these AGEs accumulate, they damage nearby proteins — think of dominoes. Knock one down, and the rest start to fall. The proteins that are most vulnerable to damage from AGEs are collagen and elastin — the protein fibers that keep … Continue reading →

Use Less in Emergency Baking

Baking is a science, right? Well, yes, it is. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t mess with the formula every now and then and still get great results. You can use these ideas whether you have run low on your ingredients but still need to provide a meal or food for your family. That is why I call it emergency baking. You can also use these ideas to save money on your groceries in general. I’m not talking about substitutes, either. In emergency baking, you use less of whatever is normally required for your baked goods. This post is inspired … Continue reading →

Summer is the Start of the Sugar Wars

I do not know exactly why (although I have dozens of theories) but Summer and Sugar just seem to go hand-in-hand. It is not like we are one of those families who shun all treats and baked goods—but it does seem like I have to be extra diligent to watch the sugar intake during the warm months of summer. It isn’t just ice cream and soda (although my son is particularly fond of the root beer float—especially during the months of June, July and August), but summer seems to be all about popsicles and candy and other sugary, snacky foods. … Continue reading →